1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a self-closing catheter valve having a housing with an oval cross section and a conical hose attachment connector which can be inserted into a catheter hose, a valve hose piece which partially extends through the housing, an actuating member positioned within the housing for bringing the self-closing catheter valve into an open position, and a spring element for deforming and constricting the valve hose piece.
2. Description of Prior Art
Conventional catheter valves are known in a great number of embodiments and are commercially available. Only the valves which are used outside of a body are of interest in connection with this invention. The following publications are cited to provide examples of such valves: European Patent reference EP-A-O 455 478, German Patent reference DE-A-39 09 63.4, and German Patent reference DE-A-40 29 05.3.
The catheter valves employed in urology are increasingly being used to treat chronic patients. In geriatrics in particular, patients must use catheter valves for years. However, this fact had scarcely been taken into account up to now. If these factors are taken into consideration, a list of requirements can be compiled which contains at least the following:
1. The valve must be ergonomically shaped, so that the patient does not get sores from the valve rubbing against him, even if he is confined to a bed for a long time; PA1 2. Because the cost of care is particularly important with long-term patients, the catheter valve must be extremely inexpensive; PA1 3. The motor responses of geriatric patients are often reduced, requiring the catheter valve to be extremely simple and operable with only one hand; and PA1 4. long-term use requires that the entire valve can be rinsed without being disassembled and that the entire valve can be sterilized.
To meet these requirements it is necessary to take aspects of shape into consideration as well as structural aspects which in part are also dictated by the shape.
This invention can be distinguished from the catheter valve taught by European Patent reference EP-B-0 088 871. The self-closing catheter valve of the '871 European Patent reference has a housing with a conical hose attachment connector on which a catheter hose can be pushed, a valve hose piece which at least partially extends through the housing, and an actuating member for bringing the valve into an open position. The catheter valve of the '871 European Patent reference operates with a hose attachment connector displaceably seated in the housing. The valve hose piece is crimped by this displacement. The automatic closing function of the catheter valve is achieved by a pressure spring which is pushed over the connector along the hose attachment connector in an area inside the housing. To disconnect the hose from the catheter valve, the patient must pull these two parts apart against the force of the pressure spring. This cannot be accomplished with one hand. To reduce the unwieldiness of the two-handed operation the hose attachment connector is rotatable with respect to the housing and can therefore be locked in an open position. Because the hose attachment connector can be locked in an open position, the catheter valve is no longer self-locking. The hose attachment connector has to be moved out of the locked position before the catheter valve can become self-locking. Based on these structural conditions the catheter valve is cylindrical.
The disadvantage of two-handed operation has been recognized and the catheter valve has been changed in such a way that one-handed operation is possible. Such a modified catheter valve is commercially available and has a rocking arm seated on the housing for forcing the hose attachment connector out of the housing against the force of the spring. However, long-term patients are quickly rubbed raw by this arm.
Furthermore, the originally relatively complex valve which has seven components requires additional components because of this modification.